> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://resources.athenaintel.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Agents
> Customizable AI assistants with specific tools, knowledge, and behaviors.
Agents are customizable AI assistants that you can configure for specific tasks. Each agent can have its own tools, knowledge base, and behavioral settings, allowing you to create specialized assistants for different workflows.
## When to use agents
Create custom agents when you frequently repeat specific tasks, handle work that follows consistent patterns, or want to optimize processes so you can focus on strategic work. Agents are particularly valuable for tasks you perform several times a week that can be automated or standardized.
## Key Features
Athena Agents are equipped with an **Effort Dial**, which requires them to spend a minimum amount of time thinking before responding, addressing the problem of rushed, low-quality answers that fail to adequately solve your problems.
By implementing minimum processing time requirements, forced step-by-step reasoning, and quality checkpoints, the **Effort Dial** creates higher quality responses, better learning outcomes and increased reliability.
Athena empowers its agents with contextual intelligence through two complementary systems: the Knowledge Base, which acts as a comprehensive information repository, and the Workbench, which provides project-specific context. This dual approach ensures agents can access both broad knowledge and targeted information, enabling them to deliver more accurate and contextually relevant responses.
Learn more about [Knowledge Base](https://resources.athenaintel.com/docs/pillars/contextual-knowledge/knowledge-base) and [Workbench](https://resources.athenaintel.com/docs/pillars/contextual-knowledge/workbench) in Athena!
Agent collaboration enables agents to delegate tasks to specialized sub-agents, process and integrate responses from multiple agents, and coordinate complex workflows across teams. Additionally, agents are capable of sharing context, maintaining conversation history, and learning from interactions with other agents.
Learn more about [Agent Teams](https://resources.athenaintel.com/docs/agents/agent-teams) in Athena!
Athena agents can be seamlessly integrated with email systems, allowing you to interact with them directly through their dedicated email addresses and receive responses right in your inbox.
You can natively run and engage with Athena agents from your email client without switching platforms, making it effortless to leverage their capabilities within your existing workflow.
[Watch](https://youtu.be/Rh4uJJqGuM0?si=wkhQoZjEeEFssYRz) this in action!
Athena agents are conceptualized with memories, a feedback system that collects and remembers historical conversations to optimize their responses and behavior.
This systematic approach to gathering and using conversation history allows the agent to continuously evolve, making real-time adjustments to better serve your needs while maintaining a historical record of improvements and trends.
